Today, Saturday, May 24, 2024, Professor Dr. Hemdan Rabie Al-Metwally, President of the University, witnessed the meeting of the Supreme Council of Universities, headed by Professor Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in the presence of Professor Dr. Mustafa Refaat, Secretary of the Council and members of the Council, at the headquarters of Kafr El-Sheikh University. The Council members thanked the Kafrelsheikh University family, headed by Dr. Abd Al Razek Desouki, University President, for hosting the meeting of the Supreme Council of Universities. The Minister of Higher Education stressed the need for universities and institutes to prepare for the second semester exams of the current academic year, stressing the need for the presence of faculty members and supporting staff at universities. To ensure discipline and successful conduct of examinations. The Minister stressed the need for universities to focus on scientific research and ideas that can be transformed into innovations and applicable products that have an economic impact on society, as well as linking the research product to industry, directing scientific research to serve society, confronting the challenges facing economic growth, and supporting the industrial community and the national economy. Enhancing scientific and research cooperation between universities, the industrial and business community, and productive institutions, and employing the capabilities of academic and scientific institutions. To serve all development needs facing geographical regions throughout the Republic. The Minister directed the importance of activating the role of regional alliances that were signed between academic, production, and industrial institutions, implementing the regional alliances plan to support scientific research for industry and the national economy, confronting the challenges facing the various geographical regions at the republic level, and supporting the transformation of educational institutions into innovative institutions that contribute to attracting scientific cadres. This is in implementation of the presidential initiative “Alliance and Development”, which enjoys the support and sponsorship of President Abd Al Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, and in line with achieving the goals of the National Strategy for Higher Education and Scientific Research. The Minister also praised the efforts of universities in developing students’ awareness, by organizing educational and awareness seminars, and organizing student trips to national projects, so that students become familiar with the scale of projects being implemented in various parts of the Republic, in addition to developing loyalty and belonging among students. The Minister of Higher Education praised the inclusion of 28 Egyptian universities in the Times World Classification of emerging universities that are less than 50 years old, according to its version issued for this year 2024, out of a total of 1,171 universities in the world. The Minister also praised the inclusion of 20 Egyptian universities among the best 2,000 universities. At the world level, according to the CWUR classification for the year 2024. The Minister directed that universities should continue to provide support to researchers to increase scientific publishing in prestigious international scientific journals. To improve the ranking of Egyptian universities in major international classifications. The Council heard a report on the most prominent activities of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research during the month of May, the most prominent of which was the meeting of President Abd Al Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, with the Board of Trustees of the Library of Alexandria, which includes an elite group of prominent Egyptian and international figures. Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly also received a delegation from UNESCO and UNICEF to review aspects of cooperation in the educational, academic and research fields. The pioneering experience of the Egyptian Knowledge Bank was also reviewed for various researchers and students. Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly held a meeting to follow up on the status of the projects being implemented within the framework of developing the site of the Great Transfiguration in the city of St. Catherine, in the presence of a group of ministers and concerned authorities, where the latest developments regarding the various projects being implemented were reviewed, and the timelines for completion. There is still work left on these projects. The visit of the Minister of Higher Education to the United Kingdom was also reviewed. To participate in the activities of the World Education Forum in the presence of 122 ministers of education from various countries of the world. During the visit, Dr. Ayman Ashour met with an elite group of distinguished Egyptian scholars and professors in various top-ranked British universities. He also met with the Secretary of State for Education in the United Kingdom, the British government representative for educational affairs, and a delegation from the University of Exeter, the University of Essex, the University of Bath, the British University of Plymouth, and the Scottish University of Glasgow. In addition to holding meetings with the Saudi and Iraqi ministers of higher education and scientific research; To discuss and enhance joint cooperation between Egyptian universities and their British, Saudi, and Iraqi counterparts, exchange experiences, establish international and regional partnerships, and sign cooperation agreements and protocols in various fields of common interest, in addition to presenting the vision of the Ministry of Higher Education on cross-border education and the growing interest in it, as well as reviewing the most prominent developments it is witnessing. The higher education and scientific research sector in Egypt has progressed and grown in all directions in recent years. The Minister also received delegations from 20 UNESCO countries. To transfer the pioneering Egyptian experience about the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, 4 dialogue and discussion sessions were organized to benefit from the Egyptian experience about the Egyptian Knowledge Bank and circulate it to the rest of the organization’s member states. The Minister met with the Director of the British Council, and the meeting discussed Egypt’s efforts to become a regional center for cross-border education in the Middle East, attracting international students to study at Egyptian universities, increasing academic and scientific cooperation and exchanging visits with UK institutions, and providing scholarships to students and researchers and support leadership capacity building. Dr. Ayman Ashour also met with the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates and the delegation of the University of Sharjah. To discuss establishing a branch of the University of Sharjah within the Arab Republic of Egypt, with the aim of providing distinguished educational opportunities for Egyptian and expatriate students, and enriching the Egyptian university scene with innovative interdisciplinary scientific specializations that keep pace with the requirements of the regional and international labor market. The Minister visited Al-Suwaidi University of Technology, where he inspected the university’s buildings and facilities, including construction, technical equipment, and laboratories, to check on the university’s equipment to provide a distinguished educational experience for students. Dr. Ayman Ashour witnessed the conclusion of the activities of the first Technology Hackathon organized by the October 6 University of Technology. The Minister inspected the exhibition that includes the students’ products and innovations, and listened to a detailed explanation about the students’ distinguished innovations and projects. He praised the innovations presented by the students in various fields, especially since they keep pace with the latest modern technological systems, and directed students to make more efforts to develop their innovations; to be able to compete in the local market. The report reviewed the Council of Ministers’ approval of a draft law establishing the “National Council for Education, Research and Innovation”, which reports to the President of the Republic. The Council presents a report on the results of its work and recommendations every 6 months to the President of the Republic. The Council aims to set general policies for education of all types and all stages, and to achieve integration. Among them, and supervising their implementation, with the aim of promoting education and developing its outcomes in accordance with the requirements of the local and international labor market, and it also aims to formulate general policies for research and innovation. The report indicated that many meetings are held with foreign ambassadors and officials to discuss mechanisms for enhancing joint scientific and research cooperation. The official spokesman added that the Council listened to a presentation by Dr. Sherif Kishk, Assistant Minister for Smart Governance, about linking various programs for statistical data related to monitoring government university data through the existing electronic platforms of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Universities, with the aim of integrating and unifying the data source. The Council approved the restructuring of the Supreme Committee to Supervise Aptitude Tests to monitor and follow up on the work of aptitude exams in colleges whose admission requires passing aptitude tests for the academic year 2024/2025, headed by Dr. Al-Sayed Kandil, President of Helwan University.